You guys seem to be focusing on the fact that the rider had an ADV sticker on the bike. A much better indicator of lack of skill is the American flag. Whenever I see a bike with a flag on it, I get as far away from them as possible as quickly as possible.

Doohan was notorious for his "crossed up" style. However, if you watch old MotoGP videos, you see that that used to be more common than the contemporary "kiss the mirror" position.

As I see it:

* There are some riders who are "naturals" (e.g., Doohan) who succeed with their own signature style of riding.
* There are some riders who emulate the style of those "natural" riders
* As a result, there is a degree of "fashion" at work here.

However:
* At the end of the day there is physics at work which doesn't care one whit about style.